EDMONDS, Wash. — Youth American Grand Prix is in Edmonds this weekend and that means hundreds of young dancers from 9-19 are auditioning for their chance at scholarships and invitations to the most prestigious ballet schools.
Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the largest global network of dance and has awarded more than $4 million dollars in scholarships awarded over the past 20 years.
More than 100,000 young dancers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds have participated in YAGP’s international programs and auditions. More than 450 Youth America Grand Prize alumni are now dancing with 80 professional companies around the world including the likes of American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and many others.
More than 12,000 dancers audition each year and this weekend several hundred are showcasing their talents in front of a panel of judges who will score dancers for a chance to advance to the finals in Florida.
Assistant Artistic Director Alexei Moskalenko says he and the other judges are literally looking for the future of dance.
“I would say 90% of professional dancers around the world — one way or another — coming through our competition,” he said.
Dancer Lexi McCloud has been competing with Youth America Grand Prix for 6 years and traveled to Edmonds from Utah just for a chance to shine in front of the judges.
McCloud has already been selected for an international competition in Switzerland next month and shed some happy tears as she expressed what it means to her.
“It’s my dream to be a professional ballerina so I'm very thankful for the whole YAGP family.”
The world's largest student ballet competition is in Edmonds through Sunday and you can watch a live stream of the auditions on the YAGP website.